Miners blank All Saints'

Saturday

May 9, 2009 at 2:11 AM

FORT MEADE - All Saints' Academy and Fort Meade split their season series in baseball this season, but it was the Miners who won the two games that counted most.

After losing the two regular-season games against All Saints', Fort Meade bounced back by winning the Class 2A-10 district championship, 8-3, on April 30. That earned the Miners home-field advantage in regional play, which they used to defeat the Saints, 5-0, on Friday night to advance to the Class 2A, Region 3 final.

Fort Meade (23-9) will host Naples St. John Neumann on Friday in a best-of-three series to try to earn a return trip to the state finals in Port St. Lucie. Last season, Fort Meade lost in the state semifinals to Jacksonville Providence.

"I like where we're at," Miners head coach Jeff Tofanelli said. "It's real similar to where we were a year ago at this time."

In Friday's game, the Miners jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning and added two more runs in the second to build a 4-0 lead. Fort Meade strung together seven hits against Saints starter Grant Porter through the first two innings, but Tofanelli said he wasn't comfortable.

"I figured once we got that small lead, they'd chip away at it," Tofanelli said.

All Saints' (23-8) was on the verge of proving Tofanelli right in the top of fourth.

Carson Fulmer led off with a single, advanced to second when Corey Topa was hit by a pitch and then moved to third on a walk to Ryan Brooker. But with the bases loaded and nobody out, Miners starter Dakota Chestnut got Carson Weeder to pop out to short.

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